Hidden Stories of the Slave Trade

Through the initiatives of per- that died of a consumption; and being dead, he sistent campaigners and the estab- caused him to be dried in an Oven, and lies there lishment of websites such as 100 entire in a box'. Great Black Britons and The Black Abolitionists made use of the trade in children to Presence in Britain, the names of highlight the evils of slavery. The historical figures such as Mary Society for the Purpose of Seacole, John Archer and William Effecting the Abolition of the Cuffay are becoming more familiar African Slave Trade gathered in the UK's schools. In addition, evidence such as the case of commemoration of the bicentenary George Dale who was kidnapped and transported of the act to abolish the trade in from Africa aged about 11. He arrived in Scotland slaves, has brought to the forefront figures such as after working as a plantation cook and then as a , Ottobah Cuguano and Mary crewman on a fighting ship. Prince, highlighting their contribution to the move- ment to abolish the trade. Loyal and not so loyal service A little digging, though, uncovers a wealth of Two Black servants accompanied their master on other, hidden stories - tales of hypocrisy, appalling Captain Cook's first voyage round the world in cruelty, guile, bravery and sheer determination that 1768. Together with a can have relevance to geography, citizenship, reli- white seaman, they gious education and law as well as history. climbed a mountain to gather rare plants for To have and to own scientific purposes. The It is sometimes forgotten that many of the result of the expedition Africans kidnapped for the trade in slaves were chil- was recorded in Captain Cook's Journal During His dren. Contemporary advertisements in newspapers First Voyage Around the World : offer for sale 'A Negroe BOY, about ten Years old' or Thomas Richmond : Negro Servant : Frozen to 'A Pretty little Negro Boy, about nine Years old, and death : 16 January, 1769. well limb'd' (Daily Advertiser, 11 December 1744). George Dorlton : Negro Servant : Frozen to death : Clearly, from the 'wanted' ads, children were very 16 January, 1769. much in demand: 'WANTED, A NEGRO LAD, The purchase of slaves did not always go to plan Native of ABO, from 15 to 17 Years old, Who has as shown by an advertisement, typical of those in had the Small-Pox, and is of a healthy many papers of the time: 'RUN AWAY from his Constitution…' According to Cymru Ddu: Hanes MASTER at SUMMER HILL, last Monday the 27th Pobl Duon Cymru/Black : A History of Black July, BLACK BOY, Whose name is WILL; He is ,Sir John Phillips, MP for about 15 years of age, speaks English plain, has a Pembrokeshire was given a 6-year-old black boy burnt mark on one of his wrists…' from Senegal. Mary Harris,a Black-woman, of the Parish of St. Peter Fryer points out in the remarkably detailed Giles in the Fields, was indicted for feloniously Staying Power: the History of Black People in Britain Stealing a Pair of Holland-sheets, 3 Smocks, and that in 1651 the administrators of the Guinea other Goods of Nicholas Laws, Gent. on the 30th of Company were able to ask James Pope, as he set sail November last. It appeared that she was a Servant in for Africa to ‘buy for us 15 or 20 young lusty Negers the House, and took the Goods, which were after- of about 15 years of age, bring them home with you wards pawned by the Prisoner'. 'Lawrence Noney , for …’ Charles II paid £50 for a black slave a black Boy, was Tryed for stealing a Leading Staff, in 1682 and Samuel Pepys records in his diary being having a Silver Head on it weighing 19 Ounces, shown by Sir Robert Vigner 'a black boy that he had value 4 l. 15 s. on the 16th of March last, from the

-1- Honourable Company of Haberdashers, London...' continued to campaign against slavery in the United In 1779, Lucy Johnson was found guilty of 'theft States. Ellen wrote to the editor of the Anti-Slavery with violence' and was sentenced to death. Advocate, 'I had much rather starve in England, a free woman, than to be a slave for the best man that The law working for and against ever breathed upon the American continent.' The Records of the Old Bailey show couple remained in London for 19 years before that 'Isaac George (a Blackamoor) returning to the United States. was indicted for assaulting John The African-American poet Phillis Wheatley Gravener, in the King's Highway, published her first volume of poetry, Poems on putting him in Fear, and taking Various Subjects, Religious and Moral in London in from him a Pair of Silver-bow'd 1773 because no publisher in her native Boston Scissars, value 5 s. a Silver Spatula, would publish it. , an abolitionist and value 4 s. a Silver Probe, value 6 d. a former slave, also came from America and pub- Steel crooked Needle, value 1 d a lished the story of her experiences in The History of Fish skin Case with Silver Hinges and Clasps, value Mary Prince: a West Indian Slave. She became the 10 s. 6 d .... Ann Duck quickly learned a new trade… first Black woman to publish an autobiography in as a highwaywoman. She was ‘indicted, with anoth- England. She was also the first black woman to pres- er Person to the Jurors unknown, for assaulting ent an anti-slavery petition to Parliament. William Cooper on the Highway, putting him in In 1789, pub- fear, and taking from him a Money-bag, Value 1 d. lished his autobiography, The and 35 s. in Money , his Property, Dec. 28. Interesting Narrative of the Life of David Spens had been brought to Scotland from Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the West Indies in around 1768 by Dr David the African, Written By Himself.He Dalrymple. Spens asked, and was allowed, to be bap- more or less self-published his book, tised. He then ran away and it was claimed that since retaining the copyright and putting he 'had been baptised he was no longer heathen and together a list of well-connected and therefore no longer a slave'. He received a great deal influential subscribers, who agreed to buy of local support though Dalrymple died before the copies. It was submitted to Parliament as documen- case could come to court. tary evidence when the bill for the abolition of the The case of James Somerset,brought to England slave trade was being debated in 1792. The book was by an American, did result in a famous judgement. a success and made Equiano a wealthy man. Somerset ran away and his owner tried to force him on board ship to sail to America. Lord Mansfield Economic success ruled, in 1772 that ‘A foreigner cannot be impris- John Edmonstone,a freed captive from British oned here on the authority of any law existing in his Guiana (now Guyana) earmed his living in own country’.Although not bringing an end to slav- by teaching taxidermy. One of his stu- ery in Britain, the ruling did mean that slaves could dents was Charles Darwin. not be forced by their owners to leave England. Nathaniel Wells was the son of a slave-owner in St Kitts. He was sent to England to be educated and A haven for abolitionists eventually inherited much of his father's slave After the trade in slaves was abol- estates. 'I give unto my Natural and Dear Son ished, the UK provided sanctuary and Nathaniel Wells whose mother is my woman Juggy support for a number of slaves escap- and who is now in England for his Education … I ing from the United States. One of the recommend my Dear Son Nathaniel Wells above- most dramatic and innovative escape mentioned to the particular Care and Attention of stories is that of Ellen and William my Executors hereafter named and that they will be Craft who fled slave catchers and pleased to pay particular Attention to his Education bounty hunters. Ellen's skin was light and that when he is fit and qualified they will send enough to allow her to dress in trousers and a top him to the university of Oxford and According to hat and pretend to be a Southern slaveholder while my Calculation the remainder of my Estate…’ Wells her husband travelled with her as her servant. They was undoubtedly the richest Black man in the coun- boarded a ship heading for Liverpool, arriving there try owning his own plantations (and slaves). He in 1851. They settled in West London where they lived in and was appointed a Justice of the

-2- Peace and became High Sheriff of myself a friend to the liberty of others.’ He suggest- in 1818. He fathered 22 children and died in Bath in ed an annual one-hour strike throughout the whole 1852, aged 72. island. Because of his political activities, he was tried for sedition and sentenced to two years’ imprison- Fighting for and against the British ment. The First West India Regiment,made up of Sam Sharpe,born into slavery in Jamaica, grew Black soldiers, was formed in 1795 and consisted up to become a Baptist preacher who followed the mainly of freed Africans. The regiment went on to growing abolitionist movement in Britain and ser- fight in Barbados, British Guiana, the Gold Coast, monized about the iniquity of slavery in his own Gambia, Sierra Leone, Jamaica (the Morant Bay parishes. He organized a rebellion involving some rebellion of 1865) among other campaigns. 20,000 rebels at Christmas in 1831. Although it was However, a mutiny in Trinidad in 1837 by recruits initially intended as a peaceful strike, violence who had been freed from slave ships and 'press- spread and a number of slave owners and overseers ganged' effectively brought an end to this practice. were killed. Many slaves were sentenced to death, Robert Wedderburn, the son of a slave, cam- including Sam Sharpe, who was executed in 1832. paigned against slavery in the West Indies, writing This, though, was the last major uprising against pamphlets addressed to slavery before it was finally abolished in the British slaves in Jamaica and Empire in 1833. smuggling them out to them: ‘I am a West-Indian, a lover of liberty, and Vastiana Belfon would dishonour human Research Associate nature if I did not shew The Runnymede Trust Resources Advertisements for slaves can be seen at: www.discoveringbristol.org.uk/showImageDetails.php?sit_id=1&img_id=528 www.mersey-gateway.org/server.php?show=conMediaFile.1786

The story of George Dale can be found at www.nas.gov.uk/about/050930.asp

An example of advertisement for a runaway slave can be seen at www.mersey-gateway.org/server.php?show=conMediaFile.1778

Details of the case of Mary Harris can be seen on the Proceedings of the Old Bailey website at www.hrionline.ac.uk/luceneweb/bailey/highlight.jsp?ref=t17020114-18&words= and that of Lucy Johnson at www.hrionline.ac.uk/luceneweb/bailey/highlight.jsp?ref=t16900430-4&words= Isaac George’s case is recorded at www.hrionline.ac.uk/luceneweb/bailey/highlight.jsp?ref=t17380628-5&words= and that of Ann Duck at www.hrionline.ac.uk/luceneweb/bailey/highlight.jsp?ref=t17430114-11&words=

The story of David Spens is told at www.nas.gov.uk/about/101006.asp and that of James Somerset at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/blackhistory/rights/slave_free.htm Ellen and William Craft’s story can be found at www.black-british-heritage.com/heritage_HF2.htm

There’s information on John Edmonstone at www.100greatblackbritons.com/bios/john_edmonstone.html and Nathaniel Wells at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/blackhistory/work_community/wealthy.htm with the text of his father’s will at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/blackhistory/work_community/transcripts/william_wells.htm -3- Information on the First West India Regiment is available at http://website.lineone.net/~bwir/wirhist.htm

Robert Wedderburn’s biography is online at www.100greatblackbritons.com/bios/robert_wedderman.html and Sam Sharpe’s details at www.antislavery.org/breakingthesilence/slave_routes/slave_routes_jamaica.shtml

There are a number of resources in the Real Histories Directory that can help as a starting point for researching some of the hidden stories around the history of the trade in slaves and the abolition move- ment.

Both 100 Great Black Britons (www.100greatblackbritons.com/) and The Black Presence in Britain (www.blackpresence.co.uk/) tell the stories of some of the outstanding Africans who were first enslaved and then fought to ensure the freedom of others.

Regional websites such as Portcities Bristol (www.discoveringbristol.org.uk/) and Portcities Liverpool (www.mersey-gateway.org/) tell the history of the trade in those cities and also provide access to archive material. Similarly, the National Archives of Scotland (www.nas.gov.uk/about/101006.asp) website allows you to locate historical records.

The National Archives’ Black Presence: Asian and Black History in Britain, 1500-1850 site (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/blackhistory/index.htm) has a selection of relevant records held by The National Archives and other sources, presenting a largely forgotten history. It aims to reclaim some of this history and make it more widely known. The Old Bailey records (www.oldbaileyonline.org/history/communities/black.html) also gives advice on how to search for materials about Black people's involvement in trials, including the best terms to use.

The Anti-Slavery Society’s Breaking the Silence website (www.antislavery.org/breakingthesilence/) aims to represent the voices that are not usually heard. It hopes to highlight the involvement of Africans in their own liberation and to show that the impact of enslavement of the African continent was so far reaching that the legacies remain with us today.

Slave-Studies.net (www.slave-studies.net/) offers a subject catalogue and a search engine that provides access to internet resources for the study of slavery and abolition across all geographical areas and his- torical periods (with the exception of forced labor and sexual slavery under totalitarian regimes in the 20th century).

The BBC Abolition site (www..co.uk/abolition/) has a great deal of information on the trade and links to information on the practice of slavery and its legacy in different parts of the country such as Wales (www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/slavery/).

The academic Brycchan Carey’s website has information on the life and works of African former slaves and abolitionists Olaudah Equiano,(www.brycchancarey.com/equiano/) Ignatius Sancho (www.brycchancarey.com/sancho/index.htm) and Ottobah Cugoano (www.brycchancarey.com/cugoano/index.htm).

Hidden Histories: Slavery and Antislavery (www.hlf.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/4A9BB4D0-CA7D-4372-92FE-38C85ED1EB20/2745/05SLAVERYFINALPDF.pdf) is a downloadable pdf with information on some of the important figures in the slave trade and aboli- tion movement. The Real Histories Directory's Events Pages (http://www.realhistories.org.uk/diary.php) will provide information about debates, exhibitions, theatre productions and other events that look at many elements of 2007's commemorations.

Text © Runnymede Trust 2007 -4- The Real Histories Directory (www.realhistories.org.uk) has been created as a resource tool for teach- ers, parents, pupils and the wider community to support them in their teaching and learning about cul- tural diversity in the UK. The website helps you to locate resources in your and other LEAs, such as storytellers, dual language books, culturally diverse toys and relevant events taking place in the UK. There are also items of news that may be of particular interest to schools and teachers.

You can also submit resources that you would like to include in the directory free of charge by visiting the site, clicking on ‘Submit an entry’ and following the on-screen instructions.

As well as the varied resources available, each month a new Topic of the Month is added with sugges- tions for using the Directory in the classroom and at home.

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